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May 8, 2018

How to Become a Better Leader in 3 Simple Steps

Keeping a business thriving requires more than just a solid business plan; you have to be a strong leader to keep your team progressing. Whether you are a novice leading a team for the first time or an experienced CEO, you can become a stronger leader by following these three simple steps.

1. Take total responsibility for yourself.
Most leaders are quick to take responsibility for their successes, but a true leader also needs to own their mistakes and failures. When you make a mistake, apologize and take ownership of it. This sets the tone for your team that the mission is more important than one person’s ego. Own each step of the process: if a member of your team has fallen short, recognize your own role in that failure. Even the most capable team member will fall short if not given proper training, encouragement, and feedback. Keep this in mind when addressing staff issues.

2. Show respect for your team.
It takes mutual respect between a team and their leader to reach goals, so ask questions about your team’s personal life to show your interest in them. Respond thoughtfully to their suggestions and show respect for new ideas. Recognize that you can learn from your team as much as they can learn from you. Humbling yourself actually elevates you as a leader because your team will have greater respect for you and your vision.

3. Make staffing decisions with intention.
Think ahead with each staffing choice you make. Look for the potential in each staff member and make a specific plan to mentor them and foster that potential. Consider promotions thoughtfully and make sure that each person is ready to be moved up before placing them in a role that could be beyond their experience or skill set. If more mentoring is required, take that extra time to coach them with that newly elevated role in mind. If it’s clear that a member of your team isn’t a good fit, let them go. To keep someone on your team who isn’t fitting into the company culture is a disservice to your company and to that team member.

While these three steps are simple in theory, putting them into practice can prove difficult. However, with practice, these steps can guide you toward being an effective leader capable of uniting a team and working toward your goals cohesively.

July 12, 2017

The Importance of Delegation

“If you really want to grow as an entrepreneur, you have to learn to delegate.” One of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, Richard Branson, spoke these wise words. He has taken great strides to achieve all that he has and as many leaders do, Branson hasn’t done it alone. As a leader, it is important to make decisions that will better the organization you represent. Sometimes, those decisions include allowing other to take on some of the responsibilities that you hold. Knowing the right time and situation to delegate is a crucial aspect of successfully leading a group.

Delegation must come in the form of trust. While many leaders choose to delegate to those in manager roles, giving important roles to others is also key. Authoritative figures should be constantly looking at their team, for those who have a potential future in leadership. Even young CEOs and Presidents look to their team with hope for the future. Not only does delegating give responsibility to up and coming employees but it also instills confidence and sense of purpose. For many employees, reward in the workplace comes less from monetary means and more from praise and promotion. Delegating work is a way of showing team members that you, as their leader, trust their work ethic. You also show them that you have faith that they will accomplish the task at hand.

In addition to employee empowerment, delegating also provides relief for those whom the work normally falls upon. As the leader of an entire organization, delegating almost becomes necessary. If your organization begins to develop from its roots, you are going to want someone along for the ride. The path to success should not be lonely. Delegating authority to those around you provides support and enthusiasm. This group of people all want to achieve a common goal of a thriving organization. The alleviation of tedious tasks allows you, the leader, to focus on the pressing matters. The smaller issues, though still important, can then fall to those who support your cause.

A leader will always face challenges. How they handle such situations is a testament to the kind of leader they are. Delegating responsibility to those team members that you trust gives them a sense of purpose while allowing yourself to lead the best organization possible.

June 20, 2017

The Difference Between Leadership and Management

April 1, 2017

Leading Younger, Junior Employees to Excel

March 24, 2017

Leadership Tips From CEO’s

No company is as good as its leadership. In order to steer your team in a productive, efficient direction, proper leadership qualities must become habitual. As a leader, this process means finding a comfortable equilibrium between employee happiness and workplace initiative. The key is finding ideas that can stand the test of time while upholding a constructive purpose.

However, since the basics of leadership tend to be obvious and broad, it can be hard to think outside the box for new ideas. Here are a list of leadership tips you may have missed–taken from some of the business world’s top CEO’s.

Transparency is vital

From JPMorgan Chase CEO and chairman, Jamie Dimon

By maintaining a transparent workplace for your employees, you will subsequently instill a culture of strong trust and mutual understanding. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon recommends sharing information such as financial performance and strategy as much as possible–doing so will prevent your employees from thinking you are hiding information from them.

Assign a theme to each work day

From Square CEO and Twitter chairman, Jack Dorsey

While balancing responsibilities from two separate leadership roles, Square CEO Jack Dorsey likes to assign themes to his work days, devoting each day to a different type of work. By adopting this philosophy, you may be able to strengthen your prioritization skills while making a habit out of mental compartmentalization–a skill that is bound to serve you well in other aspects of your role as a leader.

Be willing to redefine everything

From Alibaba CEO, Daniel Zhang

Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang likes to compare workplace redefinition to the advent of the iPhone. “That’s one of my favorite examples of how a single innovation can change everything,” he told Fast Company. “The future isn’t invented by analyzing the past. Leaders have to be fearless in questioning what we think we know.”

Zhang’s analogy is spot-on when applied to the daily decisions that come with a leadership role. Quality leaders are more than just bosses and rule-setters; they are the spearheads that are expected to absorb new problems, even those that feel newfangled and uncomfortable, and diffuse them so that they can be managed and applied to the company or initiative’s best interests.

Plan far ahead

From Nissan CEO, Carlos Ghosn

This tip seems like a no-brainer for leaders, but proper leadership comes with an important moral: no amount of planning is too extreme or bloated. Take Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, who has been known to plan for work as far as 15 months in advance. This practice can be adopted gradually, but its positive impact will surely be felt by both you and your employees when there may not be time to plan in advance.

Try avoiding work during flights

From former Evernote CEO, Phil Libin

During his time as Evernote’s CEO, Phil Libin would use flying as a chance to catch up on lingering work. However, in an interview with PC Magazine, he revealed that he eventually stopped this habit altogether, opting instead to watch movies, play video games, and rest. As a result, he found himself exiting planes feeling refreshed and relaxed.This story could serve as an extension to a key rule of thumb for any worker: take breaks.

Take time to do something mindless–you might see progress in your work life as a result. Being a leader does not necessarily mean you have to live a no-fun life. The best leaders are able to keep a healthy balance of fun and work.

March 22, 2017

3 Ways to Recognize Millennial Leaders in the Workplace

January 18, 2017

5 Key Tips for Introverts In Leadership Positions

Our society has a habit of coveting and catering to the extrovert, leaving the introvert to feel less capable. But the truth is, some of the best thinkers throughout history were introverts. Introverts can be highly effective leaders. The reason introverts often feel they can’t lead is because some of the tips given for leadership don’t cater to them. Here are a few leadership tips for introverts:

1) Tell Your Team What to Expect

While introversion can be a positive quality in a leader, not all employees are used to it. It’s a good idea to let your team members know directly if you are going to do things differently than what they are used to. For example, if you don’t like having meetings as frequently as your team previously did, let your employees know that that’s how the team will be operating. Explain why you think it would be beneficial for you to spend more time on individual work. Let your employees know they can come to you with questions or concerns at any time.

2) Prepare For Meetings

Even if you intend to have fewer meetings that other leaders held, you’ll still want to have a few. If you aren’t prepared for these meetings, you can get overwhelmed and as a result communicate in a way that is not very effective. In order to make the meetings as productive as possible, get ready for the meetings before hard. Write down some thoughts or prepare an agenda. You can even create a presentation to help you stay on task.

3) Have One-on-One Meetings With Employees

If you don’t like having frequent team meetings, make sure you schedule one-on-one meetings with each member of your team. This is a beneficial way for introverted leaders to have effective communication with employees. This will allow you to get input from everyone on your team instead of just from the people who are likely to talk in meetings.

4) Listen First and Talk Second

One of the best leadership qualities associated with being an introvert is being a good listener. Too many people in the business world speak without listening, so introverts have a leg up on the competition in this regard. If you want to be viewed as a respected leader, put those listening skills to use. Actively listen to your employees, your coworkers and your clients. After processing what they have told you, provide guidance and answers that you feel will keep the company moving in the right direction.

5) Notice Your Employees’ Strengths

Chances are you’re not the only introvert on the team. You don’t want your employees to overlook your strengths, so make sure you don’t overlook the strengths of some of your employees who may be wary to socialize or share their thoughts. When you take the time to recognize the strengths of each team member, you will be more able to give them the right tasks. When you assign people the tasks they’ll do best, the company will be able to make more progress.

Being an introvert in the workplace can be tough, and it can be even more difficult when you’re in a leadership position. Don’t ever feel that your introversion makes you an incapable leader. If you follow the steps on this list, you’ll be able to lead your team to success.

December 10, 2016

The Importance of Improving Leadership

October 19, 2016

How to Increase Employee Satisfaction

Flexibility

Breaking up the monotony of the work day is an important adaptation that companies should implement as workplace practices change. Evaluating employee efficiency on work actually produced rather the space which is completed is how both younger and more established companies are viewing the work from home situation.

Many companies have adopted make your own schedule policies and research shows that allowing employees to do so increases productivity. As each person has both extroverted and introverted qualities, and allowing employees a certain level of flexibility to work in their comfort zone is essential.

Believe it or not, many employees actually strive when offered with a work from home option to your employees is a great way to boost happiness. Offering all your employees the same benefit could add a new layer of potential brand loyalty in the future of the company’s culture.

Be transparent

Honesty is truly key when it comes to crafting effective leadership across multiple industries. Stressing over rumors of layoffs or fears of economic downturn only serve to disrupt an employee’s focus. Even if the only news you have to share is bad news, be honest. Instead of bottling up all the stress and unintentionally lashing out at employees, transparency will reduce anxiety for all parties involved.

Finding narrative

While it is true that younger employees do tend to switch jobs at a faster rate in order to gain experience, salary increases, etc., this does not necessarily mean that they are not in need of mentorship. Studies have shown that loyalty does indeed breed loyalty. Along with helping your employees see how the work they do benefits them, tailor advice and information in a way that has the biggest positive impact for them. Helping younger employees help you most effectively do your job is vital.

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